Guard injured in Titwala derailment slowly getting back on track

Railway guard Ratnakar N Dubey, who fell from a height of six feet, has undergone surgery on his shoulder and wrist

The railway guard who was injured in the recent train derailment near Titwala, still has a long way to go before he makes a full recovery.

Ratnakar N Dubey (55), who fell from a height of nearly six feet, has no family in the city, with his wife and children in Gorakhpur. The man, who was moved out of the ICU on Sunday evening, is currently in a stable condition.

One passenger died and several were injured after the CST-bound train from Kasara derailed near Titwala station on Friday afternoon. Dubey, one of the injured, has been in the profession for the past two decades.

With Dubey’s wife and kids still in Gorakhpur, his brother has come to the city to tend to him

It was his nephew, Sudhir Dubey (24), who lives with him in Thane, who first learnt about the accident. He said, “I was watching the news on television and got to know that the train had derailed. A few of my uncle’s railway colleagues later called me up and informed that my uncle was in the train.

I immediately left for the spot and was then informed that my uncle had been taken to a hospital in Mulund. When I reached Fortis Hospital, I was not allowed to meet him for six hours, as he was in the ICU. It was only when doctors told me that he was out of danger, that I informed the family.”

Dubey, who has a son and three daughters, is the sole breadwinner of his family. Umesh Dubey, his younger brother, came to the city from Gorakhpur on Sunday. Speaking to mid-day, he said, “The family back home is very anxious.”

“I was lucky to be saved. I hope to get better soon and resume duty,” said Dubey. Meanwhile, his treating physician, Dr Bharesh Dedhia, confirmed that he had suffered injuries on his head, shoulder and wrist injuries.

“On March 22, Dubey underwent surgery on his shoulder and wrist, and we are hoping to discharge him in a week’s time, if he responds positively to treatment,” said Dr Dedhia.

Injured 18-year-old to undergo surgeryDoctors are surprised at the unexpected revival of 18-year-old Pradeep Janate, another injured in the train derailment.

Pradeep, one of the earning members of the family, helps his father in the fields at Shahapur

The boy was taken to hospital in a comatose state. But, on Saturday itself, doctors managed to revive him. At first, however, the teenager had to be put on the ventilator, and doctors feared the worst.

On the day of the derailment, he was travelling to Thane for some work on the ill-fated train. Despite the several injuries he sustained, he managed to speak a few words yesterday: “The pain is tremendous, but I am hoping to get well soon.”

Pradeep’s older brother Rajesh (20) said that his family is extremely worried. “We work on the fields daily, and it was one of those rare days when my brother had ventured out to Thane for some work. We were very worried that we would lose him.”

Meanwhile, doctors would be performing surgery on the boy on Friday. Dr Bharesh Dedhia, senior consultant at Fortis’ ICU, said, “The boy’s right arm was completed dislocated. We need to fix it by performing an operation.

Our initial priority was to reduce the swelling in his brain, as we wanted to get things done without any surgical intervention. On Saturday, he was taken off the ventilator.”